Higher Education in India – Assailing Challenges; Assuring Quality

Abstract

Higher education in India today is in a transformative stage, both in structure and content. Conventional concept of education in general and higher education in particular is changing – albeit slowly – largely due to globalisation and the advancement of new technologies in information and communication. Financial viability and social mobility in and through higher education has improved. Perhaps this is only a glittering scene. On the one side of the ocean (of knowledge) we have those possess and profess the virtues of higher education. On the other side there is a vast section of population that either has no access to higher education or has found fewer returns from investing/innovating in the field of higher education. For a vast populated and socially diverse emerging country like India higher education becomes all the important to supplant physical capital with social capital to achieve faster economic growth along with social cohesion, cultural ‘development’ and ethical uprightness in all fields. While there is a growing demand for access to higher education, the challenges in providing quality higher education are by no means small – lack of wherewithal being primary. While size seems to be the focus by planners and entrepreneurs in the field, quality has suffered due to massification, commoditisation, and poor demonstration. Failed strategies and low incentives continue to bane serious students, researchers and teachers. Even the some educational philosophers and philanthropists do not “walk the talk”. There is mismatch between knowledge, skills, enterprise and equity both ex ante and ex post. How then can India – the ancient seat of learning – claim to be the knowledge power-house today?At this juncture the present paper is an attempt to study the problems and challenges in advanced studies and research in India and explore ways of addressing them. We prefer a holistic and integrated approach by students, teachers and policy-makers of higher education and not only intellectual and commercial propositions.